Improvement in combined oyster knives and nippers



shown in Fig. l.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEro ROBERT F. MEGEE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF HIS RIGHT TO ALEXANDER HAY, OF'NEW YORK CITY.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED OVSTER KNIVES AND NIPPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 159,598, dated lFebruary 9, 1875 application :filed l December 23, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT F. MEGEE, of the city of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented a Combined Oyster Knife and Nippers, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide an improved instrument for opening oysters, by means of which the shell may be nicked to facilitate the insertion of the knife, and the shells separated without hammering and without changing the position of the oyster in the hand of the operator.

My invention consists in combining in the same instrument a pair of nippers of peculiar construction to nick the shell at its mouth or thin edge, and a knife-blade for opening the oyster after the shell has been so nicked.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l represents the instrument complete; and Fig. 2, the knife-blade with its shank or handle, the part composing the trigger and upper jaw of the nippers being detached.

The part A consists of the knife-blade a, the handle a', and the lower jaw of the nippers c. The part- B consists of the upper jaw ofthe nippers b and the trigger b. Said part B passes through a slot, s, in A, and is pivoted thereto at e.

I make the upper jaw of the nippers about one-fourth ot an inch wide at its cutting-point,

and bevel it to a rather blunt cutting-edge., as

The instrument is so constructed that the trigger can never fall too low to be conveniently'grasped by the ngers of the hand in which the instrument is held, and ithas a stop7 f, at its rear end to prevent it from coming too near the handle a when the nippers are brought together. The upper jaw of the nippers does not come in contact with the lower jaw when closed down, but comes with.- in the slot s, its point falling a little in the rear of the forward portion of said slot, which constitutes the lower jaw of the nippers.

The operator takes the oyster in the palm of his left hand, in the usual manner of holding it to be opened, and the instrument in his right hand. Inserting the thin edge of the shell between the nipper-jaws he clasps the trigger by the ngers of the right hand, and presses it up toward the handle a', thereby causing the nipperjaws to approach each other, cutting or breaking a nick in the edge of the shell, through which he can easily insert the knife-blade and pry the shell open without changing the position of the oyster in his hand.

The forward portion of the slot s, which constitutes the lower nipper-jaw, is made to are downward, so as to prevent the chips from wedging in between it and the upper jaw, and thus clogging the operation of the nippers.

I am aware of the patent granted to M. C. Boyer, March 2l, 1871, for an oyster-opener, in which a pair of nippers and a knife-blade are combined; but both the nipper-jaws have cutting-edges, which coincide and meet in con tact when the instrument is closed.

I am also aware of the patent granted to I. H. Starin for an oyster opener, in which a knifeblade and a pair of nippers or pincliers are. combined; but in this oase both of the jaws have broad toothed or serrated surfaces, which coincide and come in contact when the instrument is closed. I do not, therefore, claim. broadly, the combination of a knife-blade and pair of nippers in the same instrument, but

In a combined oyster knife and nippers, an open slot in the lowest jaw of the nippers, into which the upper jaw will close down, said slot being large enough to let the chips fall through Without wedgin g or clogging, substantially as shown and described.

ROBERT F. MEGEE. Witnesses:

Jos. L. GooMBs, T. M. GooMBs. 

